Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Justice Department took several steps to remove the separation – or “wall” – between intelligence and criminal information. These included significant amendments to the USA Patriot Act in October 2001; new guidelines issued by the Attorney General in March 2002 regarding intelligence-sharing procedures that implemented the FISA amendments and effectively removed the wall between intelligence and criminal investigations; and an opinion issued by the FISA Court of Review in May 2002 that held FISA permitted the use of intelligence in criminal investigations and that coordination between criminal prosecutors and intelligence investigators was necessary for the protection of national security.